Stage One...ole!

Flat stages on the Tour de France are usually boring, but when you're actually at the race they are fun. It's great to just go to the finish and watch the jumbotron with everyone because its all just a big relaxing party, talk to the people you're standing next to, hang out. Then as the race gets closer and the crowd builds up, it actually gets quieter. People are concentrating. The Germans are trying to figure out if their men will be caught. The French are trying to figure out how long till the peloton swallows up any hope and inspiration a break could ever create. The Americans are hopelessly trying to convert kilometers into miles. But you watch the jumbotron and you watch kilometers to go, and you see it ticking down pretty fast. You start to recognize some of the background scenery. The team cars come and speed by you. You hear the helecoptor overhead. And finally they turn the corner and you see the people ahead of you go crazy and its like a wave that passes and does not stop till the last rider passes.

And then it pickes up again when everyone realizes that that actually wasn't the last rider, and you should cheer for people who got dropped.

In the end the French won out to take the stage and last night's soccer game. So they are really excited about life right now. The Americans are psyched because George Hincapie is in yellow, and we really like winning. Norway is not so thrilled because Thor went down and I watched the replay a ton and I still can't figure out why. The British are just bitter about everything at the moment, but they'll cheer up.

George leads the pack
Stop doing that. You make me nervous man. You will get yellow eventually.

Yes...it was cool though.

Skoda vs Credit Lyonnas
Skoda looked to make it 2 for 2 and drop Credit Lyonnas. And things got even more hectic with Champion throwing their hats into the ring (so to speak). Skoda pulled out all the stops and employeed the roller bladers and go karts to distribute the white bucket hats along the sidelines. Unfortunately they made their move too early and died toward the end, while Le Credit Lyonnas interns dodged race officials and oncoming sponsor cars to get more yellow hats to the sideline. Stage One goes to Credit Lyonnas.

Today's favorite Caravan vehicle
The Lion. It's the only hairy vehicle.

Word on the sidelines
People used to say that Italians were the best dopers. Then it was that the Spanish are the best dopers. Now they say that Americans are the best dopers just because no Americans were swept up in the drug scandal.

Foreigners really bug me, and I run into them everywhere.

Rocky Road to Paris
Its nice to see the start, its nice to see the finish, but we just would never get there if the racers kept making circles around Strausborg. Tomorrow its off to Luxemborg for Stage Two. My predictions are more flatness; a safer race for Hincapie, a break will take off and be caught, and good times had by all in Luxemborg and along the way.